Films › Quentin Tarantino

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Film

DirectorQuentin Tarantino

Meta takes7

Figures

Characters

The character of Sharon Tate and her depiction throughout the film. → Symbolic Annihilation

Objects & symbols

The constant, diegetic presence of car radios, TV shows, and film advertisements. → The Hyperreal Mirage
The recurring visual motif of women's bare feet, particularly Sharon Tate's and Pussycat's. → Auteur Theory

Form & technique

The film's overall nostalgic aesthetic and recreation of 1969 Los Angeles
The flashback scene of a confrontation between Cliff Booth and Bruce Lee on a backlot. → The Exoticized Other
The film's narrative pacing and structure, especially the long, seemingly plotless sequences. → The Cinematic Chimera

Tropes

The climactic revisionist ending where Sharon Tate and her friends are saved.
Rick Dalton's character arc, focusing on his career decline and on-set breakdown.
The film's soundtrack, specifically its reliance on diegetic radio broadcasts from KHJ. → Anempathetic Sound
The hyper-violent, almost slapstick, killing of the Manson Family attackers. → The Carnivalesque

Films most connected to Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) — via Auteur Theory, Symbolic Annihilation
Forrest Gump (1994) — via The Hyperreal Mirage, Symbolic Annihilation
The Social Network (2010) — via Auteur Theory, The Cinematic Chimera
The Forest of Love (2019) — via The Hyperreal Mirage, Auteur Theory
The Butcher Boy (1997) — via Anempathetic Sound, The Carnivalesque
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) — via The Cinematic Chimera, The Carnivalesque
Home Alone (1990) — via The Cinematic Chimera, The Carnivalesque
Total Recall (1990) — via The Hyperreal Mirage, The Carnivalesque